Filled with fascinating information, this brief and entertaining survey features some of the major literary masterpieces of nineteenth-century England. If you ever wanted to know which Thomas Hardy novel to read first, or just wanted to hold your own at a cocktail party of English professors, this book is for you. In addition to telling you why Reverend Patrick Bronte burned his children's new red shoes, and whether George Eliot was a man or woman and more, INSTANT ENGLISH LITERATURE offers special features—including chapter summaries, lists of who's who, biographical and historical tidbits, title lists, and a host of illustrations, photos, and cartoons.